PULLMAN, Wash. -
Washington State senior running back Jerome Harrison has been named a finalist for the Walter Camp Football Foundation 2005 Player of the Year award, it was announced Monday.

Harrison, one of 10 finalists on the foundation's "Players to Watch" list, currently leads the nation in total rushing yards with 1,693 and is second in average at 169.3 yards per game. Last Saturday against Oregon he rushed for 143 yards, setting a Pacific-10 record with his 13th consecutive 100-yard outing. He also became WSU's single-season leader, passing the old mark of 1,637 set by former All-American Rueben Mayes in 1984.

Harrison is one of five Pac-10 players on the list, joining USC's Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush and UCLA teammates Maurice Drew and Drew Olson. Two other quarterbacks, Texas' Vince Young and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, along with three defensive players - Louisville's Elvis Dumervil and linebackers Paul Posluszny of Penn State and A.J. Hawk of Ohio State - were also recognized.

The 2005 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, voted on by the 119 Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on the 6:00 p.m. (EST) edition of ESPN SportsCenter, Thursday, Dec. 8. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation's annual national awards banquet Saturday, February 11, 2006 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. Tickets ($250) are available by calling (203) 288-CAMP.

Walter Camp, "The Father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp - a former Yale University athlete and football coach - is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation - a New Haven-based all-volunteer group - was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team. For more information on the Walter Camp Award, visit the website at www.waltercamp.org.

2005 Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year 10 "Players to Watch"